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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29179347">with kid in tow</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/dreadwyrmspawn/pseuds/dreadwyrmspawn'>dreadwyrmspawn</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Supernatural</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops &amp; Cafés, Barista Dean Winchester, Established Relationship, Fluff, Kid Jack Kline, M/M, Single Parent Castiel (Supernatural), Six Year Olds Are a Handful, parenting</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-02-03</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-03</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 13:00:27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,492</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29179347</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/dreadwyrmspawn/pseuds/dreadwyrmspawn</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Castiel and Jack have a lot of errands to run before his boyfriend can come over for dinner.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Castiel/Dean Winchester</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>8</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>150</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>with kid in tow</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Jack, get your shoes on,” Castiel said for probably the fiftieth time in the last five minutes. He was leaning against the doorframe, staring up the stairs waiting for his son to bound down them.</p>
<p>“Alright, I’m going to leave without you,” he turned to open the door, it whined on its hinges as a herd of elephants  trampled down the stairs, shoes in hand.</p>
<p>“No, wait!” Jack whined as he sat down on the bottom step to tie his laces. Castiel tried to stop the eye roll as he closed the door behind him and waited on the porch.</p>
<p>The sun was already high in the sky, shining offensively over the row houses causing him to squint. </p>
<p>“Dad, don’t leave!” Jack yelled as he all but ripped the front door from its frame as he flung it open. His cheeks were red with panic and eyes wide. Castiel softened and placed a reassuring hand on his son’s shoulder.</p>
<p>“Next time, please listen the first time I ask you to do something. We have a long list of errands today.”</p>
<p>Jack nodded as he took the empty shopping bags from his dad, “I’m sorry.”</p>
<p>“You’re forgiven,” Castiel said as he locked the door and trudged down the steps and into the busy weekend bustle of the city.</p>
<p>They stopped at the bank and post office before they closed for the day. Jack had made a birthday card for his Aunt Anna he needed to put in mail, the envelope covered in just as much glitter as its contents. He listened to Jack ramble on about the Mario Odyssey world he was stuck on, and how unfair the forest was before segwaying violently into a rant about Pinkie Pie. </p>
<p>“Dad, didja know Garrett Morgan invented the stoplight?” Jack asked excitedly as he bounced on the end of the shopping cart while they stood in line, “and the thingy that helps firefighters breathe.”</p>
<p>Castiel tilted his head in intrigue, “a gas mask,” he offered, though it seemed unlikely that those two things were invented in the same time period. He would have to fact check his son’s schooling at a later time. “Start loading the stuff on the belt for me, please.”</p>
<p>“Hello, how are you today?” The cashier asked as she started to ring their groceries.</p>
<p>Castiel looked up from his task at hand to meet her gaze, “we’re doing well, you?” </p>
<p>“Just fine, thank you.”</p>
<p>Castiel stood in front of the pin pad as she loaded their reusable bags. He was older for a cashier, her hair straight and dark with bold streaks of lighter brown through her bangs.</p>
<p>“I like your hair,” Castiel said, not enjoying the awkward silence that always occurred at the registers.</p>
<p>“Oh thank you,” her face deepened in a blush, “they don’t let me have color in it here.”</p>
<p>“Shame,” Castiel lamented as he pushed his debit card into the reader.</p>
<p>Jack grunted as he tried to pull the too heavy for him bag up on his shoulder as they walked towards the exit. </p>
<p>“Here this one is lighter,” Castiel said, handing him the bag with the produce in it, “be careful though, don’t smash my peppers.”</p>
<p>“Ew,” Jack stuck out his tongue as his face scrunched in disgust. </p>
<p>“Do you want to stop at the cafe for lunch on the way home?”</p>
<p>“Yes!” Jack jumped and the bag tumbled from his hands. Castiel heard the distinct crunch of bell pepper as it hit the pavement. He sighed. The planned stuffed pepper dinner spontaneously became unstuffed pepper skillet instead. He could work with that.</p>
<p>***</p>
<p>The father son duo sat at a table by the window, their grocery bags littered around their feet. Jack was focused on the forest world of Mario as the waiter finally came by; Castiel tapped the screen of the Switch and Jack pressed pause.</p>
<p>“I didn’t expect you two today,” the waiter said as he dug around in his apron for his order pad.</p>
<p>“Hello, Dean.”</p>
<p>Jack beamed, his eyes wide as he looked up at Dean. He sucked his lips into his mouth and bit down like he was trying to keep a secret in.</p>
<p>Dean laughed at the sight, “what, kid?”</p>
<p>“Dad told the cashier her hair was pretty!” He blurted out, his eyes glinting in a wild innocence, “I think she liked it because she smiled big.”</p>
<p>“Jack!” Castiel groaned as he put his head in his hands to hide the blush blossoming across his face. A low chuckle escaped from Dean next to him and the sound rattled around in his core. He suddenly wasn’t that hungry after all.</p>
<p>“Is that so,” Dean raised his brow as Jack nodded more than enthusiastically. Dean knocked his hip into Castiel’s shoulder, breaking his head free from his hands. Castiel looked up at him, sad eyes hiding under thick lashes and uncombed bedhead. The corner of Dean’s lips turned up into a smirk, clearly enjoying Castiel’s embarrassment, “your dad really is a flirt.”</p>
<p>“Dean,” Castiel stressed his name, his face still growing hotter, “don’t tell my kid that.”</p>
<p>Dean waved his hand in front of his face to stifle the giggles, “Oh, com’n, Cas,” He nudged him again, this time the smile on his face softer. His eyes apologizing, because his lips clearly would not.</p>
<p>“What ya ordering?”</p>
<p>“Mac n’ cheese, please!”</p>
<p>Dean rolled his eyes, “you get that every time, Jack, want to try something different?”</p>
<p>“Nope!”</p>
<p>“And you, Cas?”</p>
<p>“I’ll just take a latte,” Castiel said, his stomach still somersaulting in the embarrassment. </p>
<p>Castiel sipped on his latte as Jack shoveled the cheesy shells into his mouth like it was a bottomless pit. He watched Dean move around the cafe from table to table, catching his glance every once and awhile. Pink dusted over the freckled cheeks whenever it happened, and Castiel felt the warmth calm his own nerves. </p>
<p>He looked down at his phone, the wiki page for Garret Morgan opened, “it was a smoke hood,” Castiel corrected his earlier statement in the line at the grocery store.</p>
<p>“That’s it,” Jack exclaimed around a mouthful of pasta.</p>
<p>“Don’t talk with food in your mouth.”</p>
<p>Jack’s mouth snapped shut as he chewed his food and swallowed. “Sorry.”</p>
<p>“I shouldn’t have to keep reminding you.”</p>
<p>By the time Castiel was done with his coffee Jack was running busy circles around the small space. He would play his game for a few minutes before all but run behind the counter to tell Dean some nonsense. Castiel wanted to scald his son’s behavior, it was annoying, even if Dean assured him he wasn’t causing problems. Castiel liked that about Dean, his patience for kids was unparalleled. </p>
<p>A content sigh echoed into his empty cup as Castiel finally stood up and gathered his shopping bags, deciding to carry them all himself the last few blocks back home; he shifted them all to one hand to fish out his wallet at the register to pay for their lunch.</p>
<p>“Hey, Cas, I was thinkin’.”</p>
<p>“Don’t hurt yourself.”</p>
<p>“Shaddup,” Dean rolled his eyes as he took Castiel’s card to run through the register, “if you wait five minutes I’m about to get off— perhaps I can come over a little earlier so, uh, I don’t have to double back. If that’s OK, I mean.”</p>
<p>A soft smile spread across Castiel’s face as Dean continued to ramble himself into a deeper grave. Green eyes were nervously shifting to look at anything except Castiel, finally settling on Jack who was at the door tapping away on his console.</p>
<p>“That is fine with me,” Castiel agreed and lifted the shopping bags, “I have our dinner right here, even though the goods may be slightly damaged at this point.” He added as he glanced back at his son.</p>
<p>“Sweet, two minutes!” Dean said as he bounded back through the kitchen door. A minute later he emerged, his thick leather jacket replacing his apron.</p>
<p>“Come on, Jack,” Castiel said, but his words went in one ear and out the other. “Jack.” Castiel used his best mom-voice and the spell that Mario held on him was broken, the game slowly lowering from his face.</p>
<p>“Don’t listen to him, kid, I got you,” Dean said as he scooped Jack up by the middle, doubling him over his shoulder as he pushed through the door.</p>
<p>Castiel nearly dropped the groceries this time as his insides completely turned to liquid at the sight. His heart screaming as it pounded against his ribs so hard he was sure he would die of internal bleeding. </p>
<p>“Dean, wait,” Castiel sputtered out as he scooped himself up off the floor the best he could. Dean spun around out on the sidewalk, Jack’s legs narrowly missing a passerby.</p>
<p>“What?”</p>
<p>Castiel answered his question with a kiss, a small gasp passing between them as Dean returned the gentle kiss. Castiel smiled against Dean’s lips as Jack let out a chorus of “ew’s.”</p>
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